President Barack Obama will address the US Congress in the traditional annual “State of the Union” speech this Wednesday, from 02:00GMT.

This is the first “State of the Union” speech of Obama’s new term. With the 2014 mid-term election in mind, he is expected to focus on measures for the middle-class, immigration and gun control.

Parts of the speech have already leaked to the press. President Barack Obama is expected to announce that 34,000 troops will return from Afghanistan by early 2014, a source familiar with the speech told Reuters.